Be Strong in the Lord-Ruth L. Snyder

This HOPE week of Advent, I have the pleasure of hosting author Ruth L. Snyder who I know through the nation-wide group, Inscribe Christian Writers Fellowship. And she has a very special invitation for us!

Be Strong in the LORD By Ruth L. Snyder

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

—Psalm 37:3-6

I started my morning with prayer and Scripture reading. My heart was especially burdened for our family. I prayed for God’s protection and was quiet before God. My heart was filled with peace when my devotional time was finished. Less than an hour later, my husband and I were embroiled in a heated disagreement regarding our children. The longer we talked, the more we disagreed. I retreated to my piano to play hymns and reflect. Why couldn’t we resolve this situation? Kendall and I both want the best for our children, but sometimes we disagree about what this looks like. We are learning to use tools like John Gottman’s Sound Relationship House (https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/).

Life on earth is full of challenges and problems. Sometimes we get totally overwhelmed. Cancer. Addiction. Family issues. War. Abuse. God is the only one who is big enough, wise enough, to have the solutions. We need to choose to be strong in HIM. He will give us the victory, if we trust him and not ourselves.

According to Strong’s Concordance, the phrase, “be strong,” comes from a root word that means to enable, empower, strengthen, or be made strong. Remember the apostle, Paul? We may see him as a spiritual giant, but he claims that God’s strength is best displayed in our areas of weakness.

When we feel strong, we don’t rely on God the way we should. In fact, when we have the ability to do things well, we often boast and become proud. When we realize we are weak, God is able to work through us to display his love and power to those around us (1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 2 Corinthians 12:9). Here are some examples from Scripture:

God enabled Samson to defeat Israel’s enemies, but when Samson chose to disobey God, he was captured (Judges 14-16).

God chose Saul to be King. When Samuel took a while to show up, Saul took things into his own hands. Then he disobeyed by not destroying all of the enemy, and God took the kingdom from his son and gave it to a lowly shepherd boy, David (I Samuel 9, 13, 15).

Think About It

Have you experienced God’s power in your daily living? What difference is it making in your life? Journal your thoughts, or respond in another way that is meaningful to you.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you are all-powerful. Help me to remember that without you I am vulnerable and weak. As I walk through this day, lead me. Help me to be sensitive to your voice and obedient to your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Ruth would like to invite you to join a FREE 10-Day devotional challenge. You will receive 10 free devotionals and access to a private Facebook group to discuss the devotionals, apply them to your life, and pray.

Thanks for sharing what resonated with you, Linda. We are all works in progress, and I think we all struggle with trusting God completely. In our heads we know he is trustworthy, but we are still reluctant to leave everything in his capable hands.

Ruth, such beautiful truths conveyed here. It is easy to feel strong in the things we’re good at. But, you’re right. It’s only as we yield ourselves to God, when we acknowledge our true weakness to Him that we can walk in His strength. I’ve seen God’s strength in times when life has been hard and I’ve only had Him to cling to. He always has a way of showing up, restoring, and encouraging me when all feels lost.

Thanks for sharing, Jeanne.
I’m grateful that he is always with us! We tend to forget that we can’t even breathe without his help. Sometimes I wonder how much I get in God’s way because of my unwillingness to let him have his way in my life.

Thank you, Lynn, for introducing us to Ruth and her book. I just ordered the free Kindle version. 🙂 Thank you, Ruth, for sharing here. It comforts my heart to be reminded that God is always big enough and it’s in our weakness He is strong. I love how you ask questions that prompt us to search our hearts. The prayer, too, spoke to me. I so want to be sensitive to His voice! Blessings and hugs to both of you!

Trudy,
Thanks for sharing. It’s great to hear that you want to be sensitive to God’s voice. Let’s keep seeking him! I hope you are blessed and equipped by reading the other devotionals God laid on my heart. Hugs back at you 🙂

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Hello! It’s fantastic to meet you! My hope is to get to know you, encourage and inspire you as we journey through this world, doing our best to build His Kingdom until we are called home.

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